NEIGHBOURS watched in horror as they saw "a ball of flame" burst from the front door of a Dublin house, in which a woman and a baby girl died, a murder trial has been told.
Mr Richard Duggan was giving evidence in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin on the second day of the trial of Mr Francis McCann (36), who has denied the murder of his wife Esther (36) and an 18 month old baby girl, Jessica, at their home at Butterfield Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin, on September 4th, 1992.
Mr Duggan, who owns the house facing the McCann home, said he was wakened by noise in the early hours of that morning. He heard someone starting a car and taking off at speed. Then he heard a loud bang, immediately followed by the sound of breaking glass.
Thinking that a car was being stolen, he looked out his window, and saw "a ball of flame" coming from the front door of a house across the road. The fire, he said, seemed to be coming out like a rolling ball". He alerted the fire brigade and went across the road, to where a number of neighbours were congregating outside the McCann home.
People were screaming and shouting and asking if there was anyone in the house. Firefighter Hugh Barrett, of Nutgrove fire station, said the fire brigade found the house blazing "like an inferno".
The front door was open, he said, and he saw that the fire was in the hall. His colleague, Mr Paschal Heary, who described the blaze as "fairly severe", said rescuers were unable to gain access to the upstairs because of the severity of the heat and flames.
The fire, he said, had to be brought under control before they could venture further. Mr Heary said he climbed up to the landing, to find a woman's body, lying half in and half out of a bedroom. In another room there was an infant lying in a cot. They were the bodies of Mrs McCann and baby Jessica, who were found to have died from inhalation of smoke and fumes.
The McCanns' next door neighbour, Mr James Doyle, said he woke shortly before 2 a.m. and heard noise. He looked out and saw smoke coming from the McCanns' house. He rushed his wife and children from their semi detached home, then went next door, where he saw Mr McCann drive up in his car.
Mr McCann made an attempt to get into the house, he said, and was restrained by a fire officer. He was shouting. "Esther's in the house" and "What the hell is going on?"
Garda Kieran Farrelly, of Tallaght Garda station, said he saw Mr McCann with two women and two men and was told he had been attempting to get into the house. However, he said, he felt Mr McCann was "not really making any great effort to get past". Mr McCann was crying out that his wife and child were in the house. A short time later, Mr McCann collapsed to the ground.
Sgt Anthony Heavey, who took charge of the scene around 2.30 a.m., testified to entering the house and noticing extensive damage to the front door and staircase. In one room, he saw a fireplace, with what appeared to be a gas fire.
He examined the back door and found the locks were in the open position, with two keys hanging from the door. He also noticed a small table as it was being taken from the house. It had two items on it what appeared to be a gas blow lamp and a gas refill cylinder.
The trial before Mr Justice Carney continues today.